Report: Video appears to show off-duty officers started fight

[NNN0LHI]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IL_POLICE_BEATINGS_ILOL-?SITE=ILKAN&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

CHICAGO (AP) -- Surveillance cameras caught images of an off-duty Chicago police officer holding a pistol and disrupting a pool game before a bar brawl that led to three other officers' indictments, according to a published report over the weekend that provided the first details from the videotape. snip

The officers' attorneys have said that four businessmen playing pool at the tavern instigated the Dec. 15 fight. But a 27-minute videotape, detailed in Saturday editions of the Chicago Tribune, appears to show the officers' attack was unprovoked. snip

In the video, one off-duty officer slides a gun into his waistband and starts sweeping pool balls into pockets of a pool table during the businessmen's game, the newspaper reported. Moments later, five other officers join in, grabbing the pool players and throwing them to the floor and against walls. The businessmen don't appear to fight back, the Tribune reported.

The tape also shows Planey approaching police cars outside the West Loop bar. The police cars apparently were responding to 911 calls about the fight. The police vehicles begin to leave a minute after Planey approaches, the Tribune reported.

Thomas Needham, Planey's attorney, denied his client was trying to send the police cars away.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Wonder if these were some of the same cops

who watched while another cop beat up on a woman bartender who refused to serve him any more liquor because he was intoxicated (which is legally what she was supposed to do). Joey of Joey's Brick House, an advertiser on WCPT, dedicated a commercial to a tirade against the cops for being so brutal. If I ever get up to The Hawk, I'll be sure to eat at Joey's Brick House just because of that commercial.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

2. the L.A. and Chicago squads must be sharing tactics... n/t

[Gidney N Cloyd]

3. What's "the hawk"?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Chicago

Least it is what the brothers called it when I was a kid hanging out around the local r&b record store off North First Street in Champaign.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. Royko used to call the winter wind here "the hawk" but I've never heard the whole city called that.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Hey, I was a kid,

and this WAS Champaign, not exactly the hippest city in Illinois.....

[BlooInBloo]

6. Fucking criminal cops.

[Rex]

7. Cops abusing their most trusted power.

That is how it looks.